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President Biden, Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine is a Very Bad Idea [1]
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Date: 2023-07-08
Although the Ukrainian counteroffensive is still in its very early stages, some Western allies are already voicing their concern over the allegedly slow progress of the UAF. Because of that concern and the fear that Ukraine is running low on ammunition for its artillery and missile systems, it is understandable that the West, particularly the U.S., would like to supply Ukraine with a weapon that is a real "game changer." I understand and totally support the idea of an additional weapon or strategy that would jumpstart the offensive and actually win the war for Ukraine. But supplying Ukraine with a barbaric weapon that has been banned by more than 120 countries for its well documented history of causing civilian deaths and horrible injuries long after the wars have ended should be a non starter. I have spoken with a number of Ukrainians since the U.S. announcement, and to a person, they are enthusiastic about receiving these weapons, but to a person, they also expressed no knowledge of the well documented horrors of the effects of cluster munitions on civilians, years, and even decades after the wars that cluster munitions are used in are over. Even after I told them of the facts on this issue and sent them several links to international reports detailing the danger to their own people, they refused to acknowledge those grim facts, and instead, chose to repeat a mantra that could have almost been rehearsed: “The Russians have already used cluster bombs on us, so why not give them a taste of their own medicine.” I can’t tell you how many times I heard that exact phrase or words just like it. That’s a bad enough reason to justify the employment of a weapon banned by 120 nations, but do Ukrainians actually want to give their children and their children’s children a “taste of the Russian’s own medicine” that was subsequently used by their own military and is now killing and maiming Ukrainian children? Is THAT what they really want?
When using the justification for using cluster munitions based solely or largely on the fact that the Russians used them first, Ukrainians should consider acting on the following question: The Russians have committed the following war crimes and atrocities on Ukraine. So, as a way of “giving them a taste of their own medicine”, which actions should Ukraine now employ against Russia?
1) Targeting Russian maternity wards.
2) Targeting Russian elementary schools.
3) Targeting crowded Russian malls.
4) Targeting crowded Russian train and bus stations
5) Targeting Russian hospitals.
6) Targeting Russian museums, cinemas, theaters, and other cultural centers.
7) Torturing and killing Russian pow’s and posting videos of those gruesome actions.
8) Raiding Russian border towns and shooting down any civilian they see, including the elderly and children.
And why shouldn’t Ukraine commit to all of the actions I listed? After all, the Russians did it to them first, so why not “give them a taste of their own medicine”, you know a little payback? I could go on, but I think I have made my point. I consider the justification for war crimes or use of banned weapons based solely on saying that because the other side, the enemy, has done so first, to be an unsupportable and dangerous reason. Where does it stop? Why do you think international laws were written? But even if you don’t give a damn about international law, what about the long and well documented history of cluster munitions killing and maiming civilians decades after the wars are over, with the majority (66% according to the UN) of those victims being children. Why is THAT not considered by the gleeful comments from Ukrainians and supporters of Ukraine when supporting the use of this weapon? Ukrainian children will pay the price for this misguided decision for many, many years to come. And no, there is no sure way to stop children from playing in bombed out areas after the war is over, no matter how clearly marked they are. If you believe that is possible, then you don’t know about how children play, and how those that can read often intentionally disregard signs placed there for their safety. And don’t believe the Pentagon’s figures of an average of a 1% dud/unexploded rate for their warehoused cluster munitions. Independent reports have shown that up to 10% or more of these rapidly disintegrating munitions are unreliable and prone to become unexploded and deadly duds on the battlefield, just the kind that children love to play with.
From NBC News: "Cluster bombs, known as dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, or DPICMs, are projectiles that are fired from an artillery unit or aircraft. Inside are small bomblets that disperse across a large area on a battlefield, causing widespread destruction. They can be charges aimed at penetrating armored vehicles, or they can shatter or fragment to be more dangerous to people. The problem is that they can sometimes create a minefield of unexploded, untracked bomblets. These “duds” can be difficult to clean up and can explode years later, injuring or killing civilians or other unintended targets long after a war has concluded. Worldwide, civilians represented 97% of all cluster munition casualties, according to a report in August by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, a campaign group that works to eradicate their use. Children accounted for 66% of all casualties where the age group was known, the report said."
Does the United States and Ukraine want as it's legacy for winning the war with Russia (and they WILL win), decades of civilians, including children, being killed and horribly maimed from these monstrous weapons that no other civilized nations employ? How about this alternative idea for helping the UAF counteroffensive and actually winning the war: immediately give Ukraine F-16s, ATAMS, longer range HIMARS missiles, more Patriot systems, much more conventional artillery rounds, and many more M1 tanks. How does that sound President Biden and citizens of Ukraine?
- David DeBatto
NBC link:
https://lnkd.in/eyTN8vh7
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/8/2179942/-President-Biden-Sending-Cluster-Munitions-to-Ukraine-is-a-Very-Bad-Idea
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